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Monday, April 22, 2019

Happy Earth Day: Beach Clean Up & Networking

This Easter weekend was bustling with activity, but I couldn't resist the temptation to add one more event to the calendar - a Beach Clean Up gathering with Salt Link. Salt Link is a company dedicated to helping local influencers connect and collaborate with each other, so in honor of Earth Day they decided on the beach clean up. Cleaning up is far more fun in groups, so I drove over to Lido Beach and met a new set of faces.


The wind was slightly crazy and at first glance I thought the beach looked incredibly clean. What would we accomplish? Slightly skeptical, I slipped on my rubber gloves, grabbed my bucket supplied by Home Depot and started walking.

 It wasn't long before I began to see cigarrette butts, bottle caps, baby wipes, plastic cups and other random pieces of trash. When I caught back up with the others I was surprised by some of their findings - a rusted piece of jagged metal, a pair of Free People shorts (darn it, I went the wrong way!), and more.  We walked the stretch of Lido and finished in under an hour.

Most likely there will be more trash next week, but it felt good to be out in the salty air and make an effort. It was great meeting these ladies, chatting about life in general and of course snapping a few pics together over smoothies - thank you Tropical Smoothie Cafe!



And I didn't go home empty handed! Along with those fab buckets from Home Depot, Coola an organic, Eco-Lux and reef friendly sunscreen company supplied us with some fabulous sunscreen, The Ritz-Carlton shared gift bags, and Clairebella Studio hooked us up some note pads.

Photo credit to Ariana Peralta
Closing thoughts on networking.

I'm not sure why, but it never occurred to me in Georgia to seek out local bloggers or influencers. I followed a few on Instagram and saw how some were friends and met up, but I wasn't sure how that came about for them. However, since our move to Florida last summer, two networking groups reached out to me and I accepted their invitations immediately!

After these two outings, I came to the conclusion that meeting other folks in your field is a must! If there aren't local groups meeting, than grab a buddy and start your own! You know? Why didn't I think of organizing an evening out? Both Sip & Mingle and Salt Link are organized by hardworking friends.

There are businesses that would welcome a group of influencers, support or sponsor them in some way in exchange for publicity. In fact, while we were taking pictures in front of a restaurant, the owner greeted us and offered to supply food for the next event they organized! Also, I'm still sharing swag items from my February event with Sip and Mingle!

I've learned so much from the women I've met and it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my engagement woes - ha! You support each other, encourage each other, exchange contacts of brands you think would be a good match for each other and maybe even make some friends along the way.

How did they find me? They searched hashtags on Instagram for bloggers in the area. For example: #atlantablogger, #floridablogger, #sarasotabloggers, etc. I have another event coming up next month and I take notes to share!

Well my friends, Lido Beach is all ready for you to come visit!! And did you catch last week's Earth Day POST on items I use around the house to help care for the planet?  Living closer to the gulf is having an effect on me for sure!

Photo cred to random beach goer - ;)

Happy Earth Day!
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13 comments

  1. Chrissy, this is so great! I am so glad you found this group of adorable influencers! This event was right up your alley and I know it made your granola lovin heart so happy! So fantastic!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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  2. It looks like you met up with a nice group of women. You make a good point about networking--I'm going to have to look into it in Tampa. I'm due a visit to Lido beach--for real. Now that the snowbirds are heading back, it would be a good time. You look adorable as always!

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  3. I am so glad you did this girlfriend, looks like so much fun! And such a good cause! Happy Earth Day beautiful!

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  4. I know exactly what you mean, Chrissy. It's only now that I've been trying to meet up with other women around my area. Why didn't I do that earlier??
    And what a wonderful way to get together by doing something good for the environment too!!
    XOXO
    Jodie

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  5. Chrissy this is a great opportunity to meet new people and help with our environment. Good job ladies!

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  6. You did a wonderful job! And how fantastic it is to meet other influencers in your area. They're aren't and in my area that's a pity. And Dutch people aren't that supportive.... That's even more a pity

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  7. I was going to ask you how you find these new events for influencers... guess they found you. It'd be fun to find one around here but not even sure how to start....
    Good job on the work to keep the beach beautiful!

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  8. I'm ticked that Earth Day always rains on my anniversary! HA! 24 years ago when we got married, there was no such thing as Earth Day.

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  9. This is a great thing you did. Its also nice to meet new friends along the way. Thanks for doing your part to keep the beaches clean.
    Lisa

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  10. I absolutely love the idea of meeting up with other influencers! There is so much to be learned and so much to talk about! I love finding friends with similar interests! It is hard to find these groups when you don't know exactly what you are looking for. I wish there was a database with social networking groups listed by location!

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  11. What a great opportunity to meet people. Looks like you had fun dear!
    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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